7 Thoughts on the Paris Attacks

I have been asked for my prophetic perspectives on the deadly Paris attacks by ISIS. I am not sure this is fully a prophetic perspective so I will just call it my thoughts on it all.

Thought #1- THE COMPASSION PRIORITY. Above all I feel care, concern and compassion for all the friends and families directly affected as well as the entire nation of France, which is all deeply impacted by this senseless and indefensible and murderous rampage. Paris, the city globally thought of as a place of love and romance has taken a direct hit from the forces of terror. I believe Paris will rise up with a proper response and regain its place as a prime destination.

Thought #2- THE KENYA QUESTION. Back on April 2 of this year radical islamists killed 147 in an attack on Garissa University College (in Kenya) that was horrendous and additionally extended over many hours. There were also scores of wounded and it horrified the whole nation. Here is the Kenya question: Why did this not affect us like the Paris attacks? Why were we not driven to solidarity with Kenya- such as superimposing it’s flag colors all over? (I don’t need responses for this- just wrestle with it) Let me just step into some controversy and say “Black lives matter”. Whether that particularly movement is doing everything right or not, there is a valid reason it has surfaced. I don’t want even one drop of empathy towards Paris to ebb- but I still want us introspectively addressing the Kenya question. Furthermore I could lay out many historical examples that show this not just to be an exception.(276 kidnapped girls by the Boko Haram in Kenya) During the Rwandan genocide we let 1 million die over the course of several months and we must ask ourselves some hard hitting questions here. I don’t believe our issue is primarily overt racism per se but rather more an inability to identify with a race that is not our own. That needs to change. It is clearly affecting us on multiple fronts in this nation as well.

Thought #3- THE ISRAEL QUESTION. It has been no secret that antisemitic sentiments have been gathering steam throughout Europe and especially so in France. It is also interesting that the same Paris suburb that seems to be infested with the extreme Islamic element has also been responsible for making life for Jews very unsafe in Paris while not many in that nation really cared all that much. Furthermore France has been the most quick to chastise Israel for lack of humanitarianism towards the plight of the Palestinians- while showing almost insane disregard to the security risks Israel has been under by these bent on destroying them. Will this now lead to perhaps a bit more understanding to the plight and reality that Israel experiences? Is there some fulfillment of “as you have done to Israel it will be done to you” that is taking place? It is quite amazing that I read today that Israel is sharing important intelligence information with France. It is also something to ponder that this attack happened immediately after Europe and France have chosen to implement the essential boycotting of Israeli goods - because of their “treatment” of the Palestinian’s. France will now learn to walk through what Israel has lived through- as will Europe as well.

Thought #4- THE SECURITY VS. HUMANITARIAN QUESTION. This is of course very related to the previous thought, and is something we are facing in our own nation as well. The human norm is that when security concerns arise that humanitarian concerns get set aside. We experienced this in our own nation during World War I when we had Japanese concentration camps on our soil that didn’t differentiate between who was American or who was Japanese, it was enough just to look Japanese. Human rights abuses abounded because of fear and security concerns. Europe just came out of a massive outpouring of sympathy and humanitarian feelings towards the millions of displaced refugees from Islamic nations. Millennials were particularly vocal and passionate about this. Now just as suddenly, that entire sentiment seems cast aside as the security issue is uppermost. The question now arises, will the security concerns go too far? This matter is also front and center as it regards our own immigration issues and it is a repeat topic in the respective Presidential debates. The Republican candidates believe that the security and economic concerns trump (no pun intended) over the humanitarian concerns. The Democrat candidates advocate on behalf of some kind of amnesty position based on humanitarian consideration. Though both positions are Biblically defensible- I suppose a good question to ask is what would a proper "kingdom position" be? Or to make it simpler- what would Jesus do? I think a tough question but perhaps one it would do us good to wrestle with. I suppose I could help you by asking, which is the ethically higher motivation level- fear or love?

Thought #5- THE ISLAM QUESTION. This latest attack on the heart of civilization has once again brought attention to the question on the mind of many. Is their ANY good element of Islam? We are now back in a posture of targeting ISIS as the face of evil (President Obama’s words). What is apparent is that even should we eliminate them which I believe will happen- yet there are still too many representative "faces of evil" of fundamental Islam. As we remove ISIS from Syria we then fully empower another “face of evil” Assad the also murderous President of Syria. Whether we are talking about ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Sunnis, Shiites, Hezbollah, Hamas etc. etc. - they all have a couple things in common. They all believe in killing in a brutal fashion with no consideration of women and children, they all are Islamic, and they all are committed to imposing their way of life on everyone else. The follow up question is, “If there is any element of Islam that is anti-violence, that is for human rights, that values freedom at any level, that values women, that protects children, that believes in preserving human dignity- then will you please stand up and make yourself known.?” The world and society keeps giving Islam a free-pass, stating there is a different moderate brand of Islam- and if it is so that moderate brand needs to make itself known in a major way. If not at some point the irrefutable conclusion will be reached by all the civilized world that it is the religion itself that is “the face of evil.”

Thought #6- THE GOLIATH QUESTION. I had stated in a prophetic word that November would be a month that the Goliath taproot of fear itself would be taken on and uprooted. The timing of all this is interesting to me. I believe a Goliath has to be confronted before he can be defeated. Israel tried to tip toe around Goliath’s mouth for 40 days until David showed up and let it be known he was firmly confronting it. It seems that with the Paris attack that perhaps France, the USA and maybe all the world finally surfaced the nerve to not just “contain” ISIS but eliminate ISIS. This is a good thing and it mirrors a spiritual reality many are walking in. It is time to bravely and firmly identify and confront every source of fear in your life and eliminate it. For many of you that is a “Christian” voice or set of voices. Identify whose voice(s) that you regularly access is making you feel the most anxious -and eliminate that from your diet. There are many, many “Ten Spies” ministries that need to either change their message or cease to exist. “Ten Spies” ministries are those who think they are serving the Body of Christ by "properly warning" them of the giants in the land- when all they are doing is sowing disabling fear into the church. Now is the time to discern your specific “face of evil” - even if it is religious, and get rid of it.

Thought #7- THE KINGDOM QUESTION. The ultimately prevailing truth above all other at this time is that the kingdom of God is forcefully advancing on planet earth. With all the questions regarding Islam the one reality is that thousands of them are coming to Jesus every day and that thousands more are awakening to the reality that there is something fundamentally wrong with Islam. God is passionately going after them as a people group and we are at the beginning season of a massive tsunami-like influx of Muslims coming into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and then invading the Body Christ with an upgraded level of commitment to the King of kings. Whenever it looks like Satan is doing something great, God is always ahead of him preparing to hang him on his own gallows and preparing him to be beheaded with his own sword. For the rest of us we are called to stay in hope, faith and love and to stay ever aware that not only “greater is He that is with us then he that is in the world” - but that our kingdom side is by all accounts more fervently advancing across the face of the earth then at any other time in history. So as always, stay in “Arise and Shine” mode. This is our day. This is His day.